The Interpretation of Dreams
by raynesupreme
Summary: The requested sequel to "A Matching Set". Post-BDM.


"Will you two give it a rest," snapped Jayne.

"What?"

"Ain't bad enough ya' practically droolin' over each other while I'm trying to eat," Jayne slammed his spoon down for effect. "Now you two are squabblin' over baby names. Ever occur ta' ya' that maybe we all don't want ta' hear it!"

Jayne stormed out of the dining area, fuming mad and with no good reason why. Sure, he was happy for Kaylee that she and the Doc were expectin'. 'Course Inara was thrilled, and Zoe and Mal had turned around once they had time ta' think what it meant for the boat to have little ones runnin' 'round. But since the big announcement last week, all the talk was about how to tell her folks and baby names and whether or not they wanted ta' know if'n it was a girl or a boy. Plain not right for a smugglin' ship full of bad guys to be fussin' over a teeny babe, especially a teeny babe not even born yet.

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Finding his bunk a might confinin', Jayne threw on his coat and headed for town. The bars on Paradise were a bit fancier than he liked but he figured that no one there be talkin' 'bout no babies. He pushed his way into the first establishment he stumbled across, made for the bar and ordered a double whiskey. The barkeep looked a touch nervous servin' him and Jayne grinned knowin' he hadn't lost his edge, even if he was lookin' more respectable than usual. Just tryin' to not stand out like a sore thumb, he reasoned. Not like his new slacks and button-down shirt had anything to do with lookin' good for the ladies, that was just a bonus. Truth was, Jayne liked lookin' nice once it a while and he could even pass fer' respectable on occasion.

"Get yer' ass over here, Thomas Martin."

Jayne turned his head to see the barkeep smackin' a boy who couldn't have been more than twelve, maybe thirteen years old. Jayne eyed the man ta' let him know he was watchin'.

"Sorry sir. Ma had me runnin' down to Red's fer some fixins and, and I, I…"

"Yer' what, Tommy? A good fer' nothin' pain in my ass is all," yelled the man, raising his hand in the air. "Got a good mind to…."

"To what," seethed Jayne, pistol aimed at the man's temple. "Hell, way I see it, the boy's been nothin' but a help ta' his Ma and is here now to do yer' work fer' ya' I gather." Jayne flicked the gun, gesturing for the man out the side door. Jayne holstered his gun, throwin' the man against the wall. "Now, I realize it ain't none of my business, seeing as I'm just passin' through and all, but no man, 'specially a turd like you, got good call to be layin' hands on his son."

"That ain't my son," the man gasped. "His Pa is dead."

"Well then, seems to me all the more reason fer' ya' to being showin' him a kindness."

Jayne released the man and smoothed down his shirt. "Now listen up. I got me a bunch of powerful friends on this moon," he bluffed, "and I'm going have them keep an eye on that Tommy kid. If I hear word one that ya' been nothin' but the most compassionate of employers, you and me will be havin' words, dong ma?"

Jayne released the man and smirked as he ran back inside the bar. It was then that Jayne noticed the boy standing shock still in the doorway. His face an odd combination of pleased-as-punch and scared-outta-his-wits.

"Go on home ta' yer' Ma, Tommy" said Jayne. "I think you got the rest of the day off."

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"Jayne? Are you alright?"

Jayne caught himself starin' at the crazy girl. He hadn't even realized he'd been starin' and it was mighty embarrasin' getting' caught at it.

"Uh sure, I was just rememberin' when my Ma used to knit by the fire is all," he lied.

She simply smiled in return. He was sure it sounded like a good enough cover but the crazy girl probably knew otherwise. She just kept tappin' her feet slowly, rockin' in the chair as she knit a blanket for Kaylee's baby.

Fact was, Jayne was havin' a hard time keepin' his eyes off of River of late, especially when she was sittin' quiet like this. Since she had recovered from her illness several weeks ago, the crazy girl hadn't been so crazy. Instead she was kinda quiet, even a little sad.

Well, she had been a little sad until the news of the baby and then it seemed somethin' else came over her, somethin' kinda soft. She'd taken to rockin' in the chair Mal had bought for Kaylee, not that Kaylee minded none. The crazy girl would sit there for hours just reading, or drawing, or knitting.

When he caught himself staring again, he decided to distract himself with a bit of talkin'.

"I didn't know ya' could knit."

"Oh, I didn't," she explained. "I just read some manuals on the cortex."

"Huh," Jayne replied. Girl really was a genius, he thought. He scrambled for another thread of conversation. "Has your brother and Kaylee decided on names yet?"

At that, the girl raised her eyes to his, seeming to stare into his very soul. He could swear she was readin' him but there was a glimmer of that look that he had only seen that one time and it occurred to him that he didn't care if she's was readin' him or not, as long as she kept lookin' at him like that.

"I thought it was a dream," she whispered.

Jayne realized that she was talkin' 'bout that night in the infirmary. She had never mentioned it and he figured she'd been too far gone with the fever to remember. He'd certainly never mentioned. She wouldn't have learned at all if she weren't a gorram Reader.

"It was just the fever," he replied flatly.

"Are you sure?"

"Ya' I'm sure," he said, brow crinkled in confusion. "Why, are ya' sayin' it was something else?"

River set aside the needles and yarn and crossed to sit next to him on the sofa. He felt her thigh warm against his. And he felt her delicate hands on his before he saw them, on account of him being too busy starin' at her deep brown eyes. She tugged his right hand across his body, resting gentle on her tummy, just as she had that night.

"It has been postulated that dreams are manifestations of our deepest desires and anxieties."

"Are ya' sayin' you want a baby," Jayne asked, not willing to pull his hand away quite yet.

"Yes, I suppose that would be one interpretation, if indeed it was a dream," she moved her face a touch closer. He could feel her warm breath tickling against his neck. "I assume, however, since you have a memory of that night as well, that I was awake, that it was not a dream."

"I just told ya' it was the fever, girl," Jayne whispered. "I've seen fever do some mighty odd things ta' folks."

"Yes, that's true," she sighed. "But what if?" She pressed his hand into her center farther, scrambling his train of thought. In fact, the girl was all matter of distractin' right now.

"What if what, girl? Ya' makin' no sense."

"Jayne, look at me," she used her free hand to touch his cheek, turning him to face her straight on. "What if it wasn't the fever? What if it wasn't my dream? What if it was me reading your dream?"

Jayne looked at the girl sittin' in front of him, his hand restin' all protective-like across her flat belly. He thought of the vision of his Ma lookin' after his boy while River's belly was swollen with another of his children. He thought of what River would have looked like as a little girl and wondered if there was any chance their daughter would be that beautiful. He thought of River sayin' she missed him and how she could look on him with such love in her eyes that it pained him. He thought of all of this in a flash and realization hit him like lightning.

"You sayin' that we being married and havin' kids is my dream?"

She traced her fingers along his jaw. "I'm saying what if."

Jayne pulled his hand from her stomach, meeting his other to hold her face in his palms. He searched her face for any sense of teasin' or fear but found only an invitation and lips lookin' good enough ta' eat. He held her head in his hands and decided right then this would not be the last time he'd be holdin' her like this. It was too damn perfect.

"Well then girlie, what if…," he paused, grinnin' like the fool he was, "what if we start with a little kiss?"


End file.
